Breakaway surgical screws are known in the art. See e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,723,099 (Goshert), which is incorporated herein by reference. A breakaway surgical screw has a proximal head and a distal shaft or shank in the manner of a conventional screw, and additionally has a driver portion extending proximally from the head. The driver portion is configured for engagement by a drill chuck. The drill is used to rotate the screw and thus drive the screw into bone. Once the screw is in place, the driver portion can be broken off of the head of the screw.
One problem encountered with prior art breakaway surgical screws is inconsistency in the breakaway zone. After the driver portion has been removed, fragments of the driver portion often remain on the head of the screw, where they can irritate tissues of the patient.
There is thus a need for a snap-off surgical screw having the following characteristics and advantages over the prior art.